Dr. Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi Iranian Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education visited President Ilham Aliyev in Baku at the head of public and private sector officials' delegation during a two-day visit on 12-13 July 2018. Dr. Mohammad Hossein Somi chancellor of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was among the visiting delegation.

The Iranian minister and accompanying delegation visited a hospital in Baku and an industrial zone of Pirallahi, where a joint venture pharmaceutics factory is to be built. Meetings between the private medical companies of the two sides were also scheduled, aimed at identifying and boosting areas of medical cooperation. Iranian pharmaceutical companies, whose envoys accompanied Dr. Hashemi in the visit, had prepared strategic package suiting conditions in Azerbaijan Republic. Concerning pharmaceutical industry in Iran, Hashemi said that currently more than 96 percent of Iran's medicine shortage is met domestically and the country is exporting the products to more than 30 countries and a number of Iranian medicines had been registered in Azerbaijan Republic as well.
Moreover, President Aliyev called for presence of Iranian medical professors in Baku educational and treatment centers and added that necessary orders have been issued for development of ties with Iran and all Azeri bodies are ready for cooperation and implementation of joint venture projects in the field of treatment and medicine. Concerning construction of a pharmaceutical plant in Baku suburbs, Aliyev said a number of problems and obstacles in the way have been removed. He expressed the hope that operation to build the factory will begin soon.